I found myself washing dishes in my kitchen recently thinking about a well written post I read earlier that day as well as the blogger behind that blog. Helene was one of the first people I “met” when I started my blog. In fact, she was one of the very first peeps to ever even comment on my blog other than my mom.
But what really made stop and think is the fact that there I was – standing in my kitchen over 3,000 miles away thinking about someone I never even met in real life.
The reality is, I probably wouldn’t even know her if she passed me on the street. But what I do know about her are the life stories that she shares including her family, as well as who she is as a person because I have read her blog. I never had one single phone conversation with Helene but we’ve had many conversations together through our blogs. It made me realize that these connections we make in the blogosphere with one another are real even though we have never officially “met” the old fashioned way.
This also got me thinking about Brittany, my very first follower and I feel like I have known her for years. She is also someone I have never met in real life but I was there for the birth of her third child {thanks to twitter} and I could tell you everything about her adorable kids and life in the south.
However, there are two bloggers I actually have met in real life. Corine and Jessica were everything I thought they would be. I could easily talk with these ladies for hours on end and they certainly set the meeting-a-blogger-for-the-first-time-in-real-life standard so I guess I have some high expectations for those I anticipate meeting in the future.
I’m so reflective about this right now because I am about to attend BlogHer, one of the biggest conferences of the year in a matter of weeks. I will have the opportunity to meet some of the very women I have connected with over the last year in the bloggy world and that thought alone is ridiculously exciting.
I was tweeting with Alexis and Loralee and recently chatting with Loukia, Maria and LZ and these conversations solidified the fact that this will be one hell of a memorable two days for me – because I will be shaking hands, smiling and hugging the very peeps who I have formed some really great relationships with.
I cannot wait to arrive at this event, share tons of smiles and ultimately speak the words, “Hi, I’m Heather. It’s so nice to meet you.”
I know many of my bloggy friends will not be attending conferences or other platforms to meet other bloggers in real life this year – but my point in writing this post was to share my perspective that I do believe these relationships and connections that are made in the blogosphere are VERY real – whether you have met the blogger(s) in real life or not. Do you agree? What’s your take on your relationships and connections made with bloggers that you “meet” in the blogosphere?
I think that blog relationships are totally real! It is amazing too, because there are so many people that I now consider “friends” who I’ve never actually met in real life. It’s funny to think that I never would’ve known them if I hadn’t started my blog.
Isn’t it so funny the connections we make!!! I love it. I am so sad to be missing BlogHer but I am going to Bloggy Boot Camp in San Fran and I am so excited to meet some bloggers in real life that I feel like I already know through our connections! Everyone better be tweeting a lot during BlogHer!
I’m gong to be more like: SQUEE!!! OH MY GOD! HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOO Nice to meet you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY! Great post, as usual… see you SO SOON! xoxo
I think it’s awesome and I am so jealous! I wish I could go. I can’t wait to hear all about it
I can’t wait to share it with you!
Heather I feel the same way! The connections are fabulous and I love meeting so many awesome ladies online. I would like to warn you that you will meet me face to face at BlogHer and I am a hugger. So – if you don;t want hugs you will have to let me know because after months of cyber hugs I am going to go for the real thing!
xoxo
I am a hugger, too! 😉
I think the relationships we form with loggers are very real. I think these online relationships make meeting face to face easier because you already feel like you know each other.
Enjoy your time at the conference!
I am looking forward to meeting some ppl IRL at BlogHer. I am looking forward to seeing the person behind the words and totally agree that these connections are real
I seriously cannot WAIT to meet you in just a few short weeks
Can.not.wait!!
I am seriously jealous that I won’t be there! Have a fabulous time meeting the real things:)
i’ve only met one of my bloggy friends in real life, it was a wonderful experience. i truly feel like some of the women i’ve met online are my best friends… and i’ve never met most of them. i’d love to some day, but it just never seems to work out.
I love thinking about this! I have only been blogging since February, and haven’t met any of my followers (or those that I follow)….but, I do feel like I’ve made some connections with other bloggers through the way they relate their stories and comment on mine. One thing that makes me feel very connected is when someone emails a response to a comment and adds more of a personal touch. I can’t wait to read about your trip to the conference!
And I can’t wait to share it with you, too Sherri!
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve met a few bloggers IRL, but can’t wait to meet everyone else. We are going to have such a great time! It’s amazing how you can become such good friends with someone you have yet to meet (this means you 😉
I am in envy! Since I’m just starting out I feel like I haven’t made deep connections yet. But there are some blogs that I just love to read and comment on (yours being one of them Heather!). Hopefully as I continue on this journey those relationships will form. It’s hard enough that I feel as though because I’m one of the only moms around—my friends have slowly dwindled since getting married and having a baby—so I’m looking forward to meeting some new ones in bloggy world!
Exactly. I have only met one blogger in real life [throwingquarters.com] and was as I expected. His family as well was welcoming and lovely. I know many just via the interwebs but feel I would be comfortable with them IRL.
I have been around the web for awhile and I have met many from the web…so far all are fab.
Chicago is on my list of cities to visit.. [had a layover there Sunday for a few hours even]
I’m still fairly new to blogging and I feel like I’ve made a few good connections. On occasion I do feel like it’s dating though…one day it feels totally real, and another day I wonder if I’m stalking, and then another day I’m too busy to be bothered. I can’t wait until BBC (in SF) where I can meet some people in person!
Yes! I feel like I could have written this myself. I was just “in person” with some amazing people I feel like I have known forever and have never met until last week. IT was everything I hoped for and more. I was just as enamored with these women IRL as I am on line. I agree that not only are these relationships real but, for me at least, they are an important part of my mommy village. Without them, I might be lost.
I agree that blog relationships are totally real! It kind of reminds me of old school pen pals. Just because you haven’t met them in real life doesn’t mean that you don’t have a deep connection and friendship with them. I am hoping to meet some bloggy friends some day soon! Until then, e-mail works well!
So true!! I often feel like some of my URL friends know me much better or know more about what is going on with me than my IRL friends. Even my bestie sometimes learns of things through my blog. Oops.
I recently attended the English version of BlogHer called CyberMummy! All I can say is it was completely awesome and I enjoyed every minute of meeting people that I already ‘knew’ through their blogs and also made a fabulous new friend!! Have a brilliant time!! x
Heather, I feel the same exact way about many bloggers, you included. I don’t think there’s a day where I’m not sitting here struggling with my kids or wondering if the very thought of my husband will ever give me butterflies in my tummy again but feeling very comforted knowing there are plenty of other women out there in the blogosphere going through the same thing. I know at any time I can just get online, read a blog and feel as if I’m sitting right there next to that person…feeling what she’s feeling or simply relating to a struggle she’s facing.
Many of these women do feel like real-life friends, you included! On some days, the blogosphere is my only connection with the outside world!!!
Thanks for the shout-out!!!!
you KNOW i can’t wait for blogher…the dancing. oh, the dancing. i am ready to get my club on. i don’t feel like i need to “meet” you for the first time, because like you said, i feel like i already know you. but you will have to say, “sup, i’m theta mom” because i rarely ever call bloggers i’ve never met IRL by name for fear of mistaking someone for someone else.
but i will be hugging you, so just be warned.
Great post! I totally agree – the major reasons I’m going to BlogHer this year is to actually meet and cement some of my on-line only friendships and also I hope to meet loads of the other women I know through their blogs and twitter (you included!) Its amazing what a wonderful opportunity this platform gives us to make new, true friends hundreds and thousands of miles away.
I totally agree Emily!!
I think about this all the time. You wrote it in such a beautiful way! I am so thankful for all the friends and connections that I have made through blogging.
Really looking forward to taking it to the next level with so many of my blogging friends. I’ve already met a few and without question, I’ve never been disappointed.
See you in New York!!
I won’t be attending Blogher but I am planning on attending Blissdom – and I am SO excited to meet people that I LOVE online, IRL. I think about it occassionally and I picture myself in the moment & it seems surreal. I can’t wait.
I so wish i could afford to got o a blogher conference i would love to meet he ladies that help me with my blog and the ones that comment all the time and the ones that i follow religiously. I feel as if my circle of friends is expanding around the world and cant wait to be able to meet all my new friends.
I always feel a little silly for thinking of these people as friends, since I have never met them, and would not recognize them on the street. But the online community IS that close. And my blogger, Twitter et al. friends are my personal support group. I love them!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Heather. I have made some really great connections in the blogging world and I am so very grateful to call those people friends.
Great post…As always.
Thanks Lindsay! Always glad to have you here.
i think the people we meet through blogs is very real. very real indeed! & i can’t imagine all the fun all you ladies are going to have at blogher – it’ll be amazing, to say the least…
& i think that people who aren’t in the blogging/twitter world really just don’t understand, you know? (my husband sometimes thinks i’m crazy. but good crazy. thankfully.)
Becca,
I know exactly what you mean. Trust me, my husband still doesn’t REALLY get it – and it’s been over a year.
I have definitely made new and true friends in this bloggy world. We share in each others blogs and in each others lives. Its great!
Ive also seen some bloggers who are completely two faced. Not so impressed with them. But you cant let the few ruin a whole experience!
Blogger friendships are definitely real!
I love our Theta Mom Thursday real-life-meet-ups! You are pretty awesome and easy to talk yourself lady
— the bloggers at Blogher are going to love you- how could they not be super sweet to you?
don’t be nervous!!
Hey mama! I’m not nervous about attending but what has been on my mind is I hope I am not raising the bar too high with my own expectations of others – thinking every single person I meet wil be exactly who I think they are, because I’ll be disappointed to find out that they may not be – that’s all.
Since you were the first blogger I ever met IRL, everyone else has a tough act to follow. 😉
you are too kind!
I’ve only met a handful that werent as sweet and friendly as I thought they were– the ones that ARE- far out weigh those that weren’t… and THAT is the important part!
I agree wholeheartedly. I haven’t been at this very long, but the connections are one of my favorite things about blogging.
Sad – and, yes, a little jealous – that I won’t be at BlogHer this year. I got in the game too late to make arrangements. Next year, though, I will be there! I do get to go to Bloggy Boot Camp in Austin in Oct. – yeah! Looking very forward to that.
Am rambling. Just wanted to say, yes, you are on the money. Blogging friends are great!
I love the fact my blog has connected me with so many other people. I would love to be able to meet some of them in real life and hopefully it will happen one day.
BlogHer 2011 for the win!
There is something special about the first bloggers you meet when you begin. I’m often saddened that I have less time to truly visit other bloggers the way I once did. I too find myself thinking about comments or posts I’ve read and have come to realize what a unique and special place the blogosphere is.
I feel I often have to defend blogging to friends who do not read blogs, and I think unless you have written a blog and been on the receiving end of the comments it will not be something you will understand.
Thanks for a great post,
Dana
Dana,
I completely agree – those that don’t blog themselves truly don’t understand the nature of blogging and I find myself defending this passion, too. But it’s worth it in the end to have met women like you!
Totally agree with you Dana – you do feel like you have to defend yourself when you talk about your “friend” if you only know them through blogging. I feel a real connection with my blog pals. Even those who read the blogs that I work for as opposed to my personal blog. I think about them, as I would actual friends, quite often. Sometimes I even think that people are far nicer in the blog world than in IRL.
Great post!
I find myself wishing my connections were more real. I have my favorite blogs and I always think, “if only these women lived down the street from me!” We live in a really small town and have only been here for two years and I have girlfriends but have yet to REALLY connect with someone, know what I mean?
I know EXACTLY what you mean. Sometimes, I think my readers “get me” more than some of my IRL friends.
I’m pretty new to blogging, so I haven’t met anyone IRL…but I’ve already made what I consider to be really good friends. Especially those women that I’ve met that also have a child with autism…it’s an instant connection. I’ve met two that are here in the Chicago area that hopefully I will meet someday soon. One of the perks of living in a major metro area…there are bound to be bloggy buddies within driving distance!
I only wish I had been blogging for all these years. I just started and I can’t wait to form relationships with great ladies from all over the world.
Oh I so wish I were going to BlogHer! Heather, you would be right up there on the list of bloggers I would love to meet, and bloggers I feel lucky to have known and communicated with throughout my time blogging. As some others have stated, I only wish I had started blogging sooner! The connections are amazing.
Blogging has changed my world. I began, b/c I am a longer in this small town. I am very different, and people don’t venture out of their life long cliques. I went online on a whim, took 2 seconds to set my blog up, and life has never been the same.
I know that people who don’t blog say, “what? you did this for free?”
but, to me, it is life on a whole, new happy level.
It doesn’t hurt when I get cold shouldered at the community pool anymore. Why? because I have my on line friends.
Thank you, ThetaMom, for being one of them, and being the conduit to bringing and keeping us together.
To meet a blogger I follow would be akin to a celebrity sighting for me. I know I’d squeal!
These relationships created through blogging just take my breath away. I had no idea I would develop friendships across the country. Heck, across the world. It’s just amazing.
And I’m 100% jealous that you are going to Blogher.
Yayyy I can’t wait for Blogher2010 to finally match faces to words and names!
Heather – Oh, yes. I can relate on SOOOOO MANY levels. I can honestly say “I LOVE” about 10 people who I’ve never yet met (including you!). How is that possible? I was at BBC in Baltimore and made real connections with so many. I can’t wait to BlogHer (although it won’t be nearly as ‘intimate’), and hope to get to BBC in Philly.
I’m soo addicted to the connections and your post is so well stated!
Cheers, and thanks for the reminder!
Would love to go to BlogHer or another conference, but it just isn’t in the cards this year. Maybe on year I’ll get the chance to meet all these bloggy friends I’m making. It’s these relationships that make blogging all the fun it is! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
This has been one of the biggest surprises about blogging to me. When I started, I had no idea blogging communities existed. I saw blogging as a solitary activity. I was extremely surprised to learn that bloggers support each other. I’ve only been blogging for a few months, but I’ve already “met” many women who I think are really great. I love reading their blogs and “talking” to them about what we’ve written. I’m not going to Blogher this year, but maybe I will hit it (or another conference) next year. I’d love to meet some of you in person!
I totally feel this way! I am not lucky enough to go to BlogHer this year (didn’t even know it existed until far too late), but I am hoping to go next year! I have friends IRL who totally think it’s weird that when I call the ladies I blog/tweet with my “friends”. They always joke about how I am a big dummy who is talking to 50 year old hairy guys about my life. Ha! I really do consider all you ladies my friends and my support. This is the first time since becoming a momma that I have felt like the real me somewhere. It’s just not possible to leave the house and spend all my free time out with the girls anymore (they don’t live close enough to me anyway), but via blogs and twitter? I have my girls every day! And that has made me very, VERY happy!
I absolutely agree!
I love this post and agree with you. My bloggy friends are truly friends. Back before cars and airplanes, people often had penpals. They may have never met but they shared intimate details of their lives. I feel this way about blogging. When one of the bloggers I follow hasn’t written in a while, I get concerned. When they share good news, I rejoice.
I just started reading your blog and love it. My sister recently went to a blog event…it may have been last year and she was amazed at all the wonderful women she met. Have fun at BlogHer!
Thanks so much for that Kristy! Glad to have you here!
Look forward to meeting you
Oh, and I’m way better in person lol! Jill